If you're wearing your ring while using harsh detergents around the house or in a pool or spa that has been treated with chlorine, your ring will experience corrosion. When these chemicals react with the metal alloy in the ring, it will cause those metals to corrode and turn black, thus blackening the skin underneath.
When real gold is in direct contact with your skin there is no discoloration. If the gold is fake it will cause your skin to turn black, blue, or green at the contact points.
Metallic Abrasion
Metallic abrasion is the first answer to the question, "why does gold turn my skin black." Metallic abrasion occurs when tiny metal particles rub off your gold ring, necklace, watch, or bracelet to form a black substance on your skin. Lotions and oils are often responsible for metallic abrasion.
The black discoloration on a gold ring is likely due to tarnish, which can occur when gold is exposed to air and moisture, leading to a reaction with other metals in the alloy or with environmental pollutants.
The common green or black color is not harmful of itself, though some people experience an itchy rash or other sensitivity reaction to the metal and may wish to avoid exposure to it. A common culprit is silver, which is found in sterling silver jewelry, and as an alloying metal in most gold jewelry.
A ring that is too tight will leave indent marks at the base of your finger and will not turn clockwise or counterclockwise around your finger. If the ring does not slide over your knuckle after applying a small amount of pressure when taking it off, the ring is too tight.
When you remove your ring, do you see a depressed, discolored impression where it was? This is a surefire sign that your ring is a bit too tight. A slight discoloration or tan line is nothing to worry about, but a red or purple ring means a resize is in order.
Elements such as sulphur and chlorine react with the other metals in the gold jewelry, causing it to corrode and turn black, thus blackening the skin underneath.
The most common reason your finger gets discolored when wearing a gold ring is metallic abrasion. This is caused by makeup, or other cosmetics, on the skin. Cosmetics contain compounds that are harder than the gold (remember gold is soft). So the makeup will rub off very tiny particles of the metal.
Many people on social media are suggesting that if you rub a gold ring on your skin and a black mark appears that you are anemic and should get your blood levels checked. Though it is safe to rub a ring on your face, there is no evidence that this signifies anemia or iron deficiency.
Real gold does not react to oil
Gold does not react to the oils in our skin, but silver and copper both can leave behind green or black marks. However, some gold items that are made up of a mix of gold and other items, up to 14 karats, can also leave behind a mark on the skin.
Drop a small amount of liquid nitric acid on that scratch and wait for a chemical reaction. Fake gold will immediately turn green where the acid is. Gold-over-sterling silver will become milky in appearance. Gold will not react to the nitric acid.
Acid test.
An acid test can reveal the karat of solid gold jewelry, but it can also show whether jewelry is solid gold or gold-plated. With an acid test, a small sample of the jewelry is removed and exposed to acid to induce a color change. The resulting colors indicate which type of metal the jewelry is made of.
There are several reasons why jewelry becomes dull or dirty (like water, creams or lotions), but the most common problem with fashion jewelry that has been packed away, is that over time the metal is exposed to elements in the air which cause a chemical reaction, leaving them tarnished or discolored.
Jewelry tarnish is caused when the surface of the metal comes into contact with body oils, makeup, sulfur, sweat, perfumes, deodorants, lotions, and other external substances. Tarnish varies from looking slightly dull to totally black, depending on the metal and how you wear and care for your jewelry.
Use Aluminium Foil And Baking Soda For A Deep Clean
It will work wonders in restoring its brilliance and removing severe cases of tarnish. Not only that but this method is gentle on the gold plating because it doesn't require abrasive contact with the jewellery.
The impact of soap, lotions, sweat, chemicals and debris that build up under the ring is quite damaging on the metal. Over time they will start to leave a green mark on your finger as the elements react with the metal, skin and the skin oils. But don't worry, the dreaded green mark is preventable.
How long it takes for an indent to go away depends from person to person. For some, it can take one year to take off the ring, while in some rare cases, it can be two years. Please avoid any ring on your finger that has the indentation to enable your finger to return to its natural size.
First, do not worry. The discoloration of your skin is not harmful and won't affect the strength of your ring. Discoloration caused by wearing your yellow or rose gold jewelry can happen for a few different reasons. The most common reason for skin discoloring when wearing gold jewelry is metallic abrasion.
Inexpensive jewelry usually contains copper and nickel, so it may discolor skin. Unfortunately, even expensive jewelry can leave a mark. This includes genuine gold jewelry. White gold is less likely to turn your finger colors than yellow gold because it often has a plating of rhodium.
Jewelers often use nitric acid to test their gold. Basically, gold won't react to nitric acid, but all other metals will turn greenish.